Present thermodynamic drives are usually in the form of internal combustion engines or gas turbines which require a high level of technology in their construction. These drives use pistons, crankshafts and other expensive parts that are subject to wear and failure, or high speed turbines or blowers to compress the air into the combustion chamber. These compressor turbines and blowers require additional power turbines to drive them, in addition to the power turbines to drive any usable equipment.
Turbines are expensive, relatively heavy and bulky in comparison to the other drive components, and very sensitive to the ingestion of debris, sand and especially birds. Ultra-high operating speeds and temperatures are also necessary for good efficiency. When debris is ingested, turbine blades can be damaged and/or suddenly thrown from the drive, endangering human life and nearby equipment. Turbines are incapable of operating at low atmospheric pressure and are entirely unsuited to dual with and without supplemental oxygen.
Vapor pressure engines that use the pressure of boiling fuel to compress the intake air into a combustion chamber have been experimented with for many years. However, all such engines have low operating efficiencies due to low combustion chamber pressures and resulting low ratio of heat drop during expansion, whereas high pressures and a high ratio of heat drop is essential to high efficiency. Furthermore, all such engines are very limited in the fuel they are capable of using, or they consume large amounts of distilled water to prevent carbon deposits from rapidly forming in the boiler, adding greatly to the load required to be carried by aircraft. Conventional ram jets are only effective at ultra-high air speeds and therefore cannot be used for take-off or for stationary use and again the combustion chamber pressure is usually relatively low, which results in low efficiency.
In view of the prior art engines, there is presently a need to provide:
a light, low cost, efficient engine to power aircraft, boats, rail trains, and other vehicles; PA1 a very light jet engine to produce controllable air flow over aircraft control surfaces, and to produce wing lift at very low flying speeds and while the aircraft is hovering. Such an engine could also be made to pivot so as to allow the aircraft to be controlled at low speed; PA1 a fuel-efficient, lower-cost gas pressure generator to drive turbines, particularly if air can be compressed for combustion without requiring power from the main turbine to be used for driving a compressor; and PA1 a powerful, low-cost blower that has application in several areas of industry as well as compressors and vacuum pumps. PA1 1. The transfer of inertial energy from the exhaust gases to atmospheric air in such a way as to keep the exhaust gases and the atmospheric air virtually separate, then separate a portion of this high inertial air into an air intake system. PA1 2. Isothermal compression of the intake air, cooling it with water as it compresses. PA1 3. The separation of water from the compressed intake air to inject into the fuel boiler to prevent carbon deposits in the boiler and eliminate the use of a distilled water supply, as well as replenishing the injected cooling water. PA1 4. The injection of the fuel into a chamber of preheated fuel vapor where the fuel is vaporized by the heat of the preheated fuel vapor to prevent the liquid fuel from boiling off of hot metal, further protecting the boiler from carbon deposits. PA1 5. The use of a standing wave at an intake air inlet to increase compression. PA1 6. The sealing of an air intake tube from backflow in such a way as to be able to inject oxygen into the combustion chamber and convert to an ultra-high combustion chamber pressure, combined with a convergent-divergent exhaust nozzle and a retractable exhaust nozzle extension, for the purpose of using the same engine efficiently in the atmosphere and also in an anoxic environment. PA1 1. An atmospheric air nozzle: through the center of which the high velocity exhaust gases from an exhaust nozzle pass from the large end, through a throat, while drawing in and accelerating atmospheric air, which enters the large end of the atmospheric air nozzle, and said atmospheric air follows the surface thereof in a laminar flow. In so doing, the velocity of the exhaust gases is almost equalized with the atmospheric air in the nozzle and most of the inertial energy in the exhaust gases is transferred to the air at a reduced energy level. PA1 2. An intake air inlet: located near the throat (smallest diameter) of the atmospheric air nozzle. The high inertial intake air at the throat of the atmospheric air nozzle passes through the intake air inlet and into a transfer tube. As the intake air passes into the intake air inlet, it decelerates to a small fraction of the velocity it has before it enters the intake air inlet and passes into the high pressure in the transfer tube. The high inertial energy of the air before entering the intake air inlet is thus converted into pressure and heat energy by compression. PA1 3. Water injector(s): The heat produced by the compression increases the work of compression and increases the maximum temperature of combustion without sizably increasing the temperature drop and is therefore detrimental. Therefore, before the air approaches the intake air inlet, relatively cold water is injected into the air flow at the circumference of the atmospheric air nozzle, and this cold water absorbs most of the heat of compression, producing a nearly isothermal compression. This isothermal compression requires much less energy than would be required if the heat were not absorbed by the water, and a considerably higher intake air pressure is achieved. PA1 4. A water separator: of commonly known type. The compressed and cooled air gives up most of its natural water content in the form of suspended vapor and the water injected into the air before compression adds to this water content. In order to have water to continue injecting before compression, and for other purposes to be revealed, the high water content intake air passes through the water separator which removes most of this water vapor. PA1 5. A water-cooling heat exchanger: The water from the water separator is warm due to the heat of compression and a portion of this separated water, required to re-inject for the purpose of keeping the intake air cool during compression, is then passed through the water-cooling heat exchanger or radiator, passing the heat to the atmosphere or using it for heating a cabin or building or other desirable purpose. This cooled water is then transferred back to water injectors in the atmospheric air nozzle. The air pressure in the atmospheric air nozzle before the air enters the converging air nozzle is below atmospheric pressure. As the air is compressed it carries the water spray with it and the pressure in the water separator and cooling heat exchanger is then naturally high. The pressure differential between these two areas naturally produces the pressure necessary to inject the water into the intake air nozzle.
There is presently a need for an engine to power aircraft, boats, and other vehicles and particularly space planes (now under development), which will operate from a standing start, take-off, through ultra-high air speeds in the atmosphere using atmospheric oxygen, and then convert to liquid-oxygen injection when atmospheric oxygen is insufficient. The weight of the total oxygen supply is almost prohibitive to carry, due to the fact that it requires several times as much weight of oxygen as fuel. Although rocket engines have proven themselves capable of reaching orbit and beyond while carrying the entire supply of liquid oxygen, it has been realized that the weight could be drastically reduced and fuel consumption and performance greatly improved if suitable power plants were available to operate both in and out of the atmosphere. Furthermore, the cost of liquid oxygen is quite high and is difficult to store, since it must be kept under high pressure, whereas the oxygen of the atmosphere is free and no storage tanks are necessary. Liquid oxygen can explode, and large quantities are dangerous to store and transport.
There is also a need for a more efficient, lighter, simpler and more compact jet engine for boats and ships. At the present time, ships use large quantities of polluting lubricants, which collect in the bilges and must be periodically pumped out. A smaller, more efficient drive would create more room for cargo, while reducing the number of a ship's crew. A drive with no moving parts would be safer, last longer, require drastically less maintenance, and prevent sea water from entering the hull via propeller shafts.
A need exists for a light, powerful, low cost blower in several areas of industry, as well as compressors and vacuum pumps.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following patents were considered related:
______________________________________ PATENT NO. Nation INVENTOR ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ 304,644,746 U.S. Hartman 24 Feb 1987 3,782,111 U.S. Kotoc 1 Jan 1974 3,768,257 U.S. Neuffer 30 Oct 1973 3,750,400 U.S. Sharpe 7 Aug 1973 3,747,339 U.S. Wolf et al. 24 Jul 1973 353,690,100 U.S. Wolf et al. 12 Sep 1972 P 20 09 808.2 W. Germany Reger 23 Sep 1971 3,525,223 U.S. Radebold 25 Aug 1970 3,382,679 U.S. Spoerlein 14 May 1968 3,323,304 U.S. Llobet Et Al 6 Jun 1967 2,807,209 U.S. Kennard 24 Sep 1957 52,670,597 U.S. Villemejane 2 Mar 1954 2,663,142 U.S. Wilson 22 Dec 1953 ______________________________________
Several of these patents teach the use of high temperature, high pressure fuel vapor to accelerate the combustible gases into the combustion chamber as one stage of compression, as does the present invention. Some of them also teach the use of exhaust gases to accelerate the intake air as does the present invention. But, unlike the present invention, this is done only by adiabatic compression, whereas the present invention provides for isothermal compression which greatly improves the compression.
No device was found which incorporates any of the following processes, as does the present invention: